In a statement, Johnson commented "The magic of 'Jumanji' is who becomes who. And the idea of Danny DeVito joining our cast was too irresistible and something we knew we wanted to deliver to our audience this upcoming Christmas. Dwanta Claus loves everyone".

DeVito has two high-profile releases this year in Disney’s Dumbo and The One and Only Ivan, while Awkwafina is set to lend her voice to The Angry Birds Movie 2 and has The Farewell and Paradise Hills in post-production.